How the Netherlands anti-lockdown movement turned violent
Bombing of Covid test centre near Amsterdam follows widespread protests in January
A pipe bomb explosion at a Dutch Covid testing centre has raised fears that the string of violent anti-lockdown protests and incidents in recent months is far from over.
The crude homemade device blew out windows at a drive-through test centre in the town of Bovenkarspel, 40 miles north of Amsterdam, The Sun reports. Police sealed off the area until explosives experts could examine the site before declaring it safe.
The Netherlands has seen high levels of resistance to Covid lockdown measures, with riots raging for three days across 10 cities in January during which hundreds of protesters were arrested. Three people, including a teenager, were arrested after an arson attack on a test centre in the fishing village of Urk.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The riots were initially viewed as a response to the introduction of a 9pm-4.30am curfew, which was the first restriction of its kind since the “stay at home” order imposed by the Nazi occupation during the Second World War, the BBC reported. However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte dismissed the explanation at the time, condemning the riots as “criminal violence”.
Organising mainly on social media apps, the rioters included “far-right extremists, hooligans, Covid-19 deniers and political protesters”, according to Euronews. Dr Jelle van Buuren, an expert in security issues and conspiracy theories at the University of Leiden, told the site: “There is a connection [between the protesters] and that is distrust in the government, hate against the government, and even more broadly, hate and distrust when it comes to all sorts of societal institutions.”
As has been seen in the UK, the country’s efforts to impose Covid restrictions have also been met with resistance from far-right figures, with Geert Wilders, the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, claiming the curfew was “a sign of utter impotence and panic” from the government.
The involvement of criminal gangs in the violence has also not been ruled out. The Netherlands has seen high levels of “open gang warfare” in recent years, with a “huge chunk” of Europe’s cocaine now travelling through ports in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Vice says.
“And this mafia invasion, along with the subsequent violence, has sparked very real fears that the region is becoming something of a narco-state,” the site adds.
The mafia has been closely involved in stirring up protests against lockdown measures in Italy. Experts say coronavirus restrictions are “harming their business” due to “increased police checks and closures affecting their ability to demand extortion payments and leading to reduced drug sales revenues”, Politico says.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Is the next cold war a drone-swarm race between US and China?
Today's Big Question Both global superpowers are building up their capacity for surging robotic warfare. What happens next is anyone's guess.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why are Republicans trying to change Nebraska's Electoral College vote?
Today's Big Question It's a chance for Donald Trump to block Joe Biden's path to re-election
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published